Best of 2015 + Holiday Inspiration

Another year has flown by, and looking back is always bitter sweet. There are things that I wish I had done, and other things that I am so proud that I actually did. My goal for 2015 was freedom in every area of my life possible. I can say that I definitely got a bit closer to what I think freedom feels like for me. (And yes pictured above is a tiny glimpse of our 3 foot Christmas tree.)

Today is my last article of 2015 before the holidays, and I wanted to recap some of the best articles of this year plus some holiday inspiration.

I’ve been decluttering our things since 2010 with the hope that one day we could have a place that looked clear and serene, but still had personality and charm. I shared an abundance of photos of our minimalist one bedroom apartment in this article.

This dessert recipe contains only three ingredients, and is raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and oil-free which your body and taste buds will both LOVE! This recipe can replace baking cookies as holiday gifts this year!

Since I began my minimalist lifestyle journey in 2010, learning to live with less has allowed me to rethink my life in ways I would have never been able to if I continued to stay in the “matrix of materialism”. #truth

These large corporations act as if they are doing a favor by providing work for those in developing countries, yet they are taking advantage of the desperation for opportunity. After watching the documentary of The True Cost, I will never look at fashion with the same eyes.

Have you ever noticed how instant gratification isn’t really all that gratifying? Once whatever it is touches your hand, is viewed, or listened to, how often are you looking for the next thrill? Here’s how I get past impulse purchases.

In the article Why Sugar Is The Enemy & How I Stopped Eating It, I received a question from a reader who felt completely overwhelmed with beginning a healthier lifestyle with food. This is exactly how I felt when I left the world of fast and convenience foods well over ten years ago. These are the tips that I used to change my eating habits for the better.

It can be difficult to not literally “buy” into what we think our lives are supposed to look like. I definitely feel the pressure of keeping up with certain lifestyle standards that I never intially intended for myself. I do feel it is important to present your best self to the world, and I also feel that our quality of life should feel radiant. Yet when our best self and beautiful life always gears around something we do not currently have, I am certain we must be feeding the wrong intention.

Decluttering in essence get’s us out of past ruts and moves us into the place we want to be. When we respect ourselves, we take care of ourselves. When we desire more from life, we must make the space for it. Truly decluttering isn’t so much about organizing our space with lots of organizing containers and tools. Truly decluttering has more to do with actually parting with every single possession that does not embody the life you desire within your heart right now.

I have learned so much about my own personal style by focusing on only key pieces each season. By observing what few items actually continue on to the next year and why, I am hoping to make better choices in the future.

The two largest areas of waste in any household is with personal care products and in the kitchen. Although I have been transitioning both areas over to zero waste, my personal care products have been the easiest so far.

Why has it become the norm to check emails, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, your favorite website, etc. first thing after turning off your alarm in the morning?

Now after selecting the Best of 2015, it you are interested in holiday inspiration to get you through the rest of the season, you can find all holiday related articles on Minimalist Beautyhere. You will find ways that I simplify things for the holidays, DIY bath and beauty gift ideas/recipes, as well as just my thoughts on this time of year.

I am wishing all of you a wonderful and very merry holiday season. If you have signed up for Minimalist Beauty Newsletters, they will be back in in full effect in the new year. I am only one person, and keeping up with the artistic, technical, and business side of Minimalist Beauty as well as responding to your questions and comments can be a lot at times. I am definitely looking forward to what 2016 brings, and wishing you all abundance, health, peace of mind, true bliss, and more love than you can imagine!

First of all, thank you very much for sharing your lifestyle. Your articles have been an eye opener and a great inspiration to me.

I was wondering if you could shed your light on two issues I am having since trying your skin and hair care regimens.

I’ve been batteling my acne prone and extremely dry skin for as long as I can remember. About a week ago I started using the oil cleansing method, cleansing with hemp seed oil (due to it’s comedogenic rating of 0) and a microfiber cloth and moisturizing with rosehip seed oil. I’m aware it’s kind of early to expect much change yet, but I have already noticed that using rosehip seed oil as a moisturizer alone still leaves my skin very dry. After washing off the hemp seed oil, dry skin flakes become visible and my entire face just feels very tight and itchy all day long. Rosehip seed oil takes away some of that feeling, but not entirely. I also have chronic bronchitis and mild eczema (on my hands and arms only), which may very likely be part of my extremely dry skin problem. So I’m kind of at a loss to figure out what exactly my skin needs if oil alone isn’t enough. Is there anything you know of I could try instead of or in addition to the rosehip seed oil to keep my skin moisturized and supple for an entire day? I’m a bit apprehensive to try anything with a high comedogenic rating, because my skin breaks out very easily. Also, I wear no makeup except for some mascara and my diet consists of mostly whole foods, many vegetables, lots of water and is very low in sugar.

The same dryness I just described also applies to my scalp and hair. I’ve started trying the curly girl method about a month ago but since I didn’t like the major build-up conditioners give my hair, I am now using a mixture of rhassoul clay, fenugreek, hibiscus powder and honey. I must say, I love love love the clay. The mixture leaves my hair very soft and I finally got some of my curls back, so thank you very much for that! Sadly I am still suffering from a flaking and itching scalp. Also, whenever my hair has air dried it can still frizz a lot, especially after one night of sleep. I have a type 3b curly hair, shoulder length, and I am sleeping with my hair in a pineapple and silk scarf. Due to the frizz and my running activities I prefer to rinse my hair about three times a week. I tried using oils like coconut oil as a leave-in, but they leave my hair feeling heavy and cause a lot of build-up because they attract so much dirt. Plus, spritzing my hair in the mornings won’t work because it only causes frizz. My goal is to eventually water wash only (and probably ACV + herb rinse due to heavy water), but I have to get through this transitioning period first. Am I doing something wrong or should I just have patience? I am planning on doing a henna and indigo treatment with yoghurt soon and love to try your banana/coconut milk conditioner as well. Any additional ideas on how to get rid of the itching scalp and frizzy hair?

As much as I would love to try more of your herbs, I can only get my hands on the ones I mentioned. Yucca root, amla and several other herbs are extremely hard to get in The Netherlands (yucca root for example costs 80 euros, kilogram only…). And as far as I can see, Mountain Rose Herbs doesn’t ship to Europe.

Pfiew, that was a lot. I hope you can provide me with some additional ideas. Again, thank you very much. Keep up the good work. Happy holidays and a lovely new year!

The first thing that stood out to me is that you said you had chronic bronchitis. I’m not sure if you are seeing a naturopath or holistic doctor, but that will help you find the imbalances in your body. Your body is most likely asking for more healing time from the inside out, minimal stress, and more sleep, as well as continuing to eat whole foods. Also make sure to eat plenty of fruit as fruit sugar is not the same as processed sugars. Fruit gives the body the energy that it needs while also adding lots of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants to your diet.

I always advise only trying one oil at a time. You may want to see how your skin responds to oil cleansing and mosturizing with hemp seed oil. Lastly DIY flaxseed gel is an inexpensive and easy way to moisturize and define curly hair. That should help with dryness. You can scrunch in a bit of your favorite hair oil to the ends of your hair after applying a good amount of the gel throughout. Hope this helps and happy holidays!